Pain Free Birth

What if your second birth could be completely different from your first...even after a long, difficult hospital birth?
In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Sarah Tollison, a nurse and mom of two from South Carolina, who shares the incredible story of her 45-minute, pain-free birth. After experiencing a 36-hour hospital birth with her first baby, Sarah hoped her second birth would be different , but she never expected labor to progress so quickly.
Sarah shares what it was like to experience the fetal ejection reflex, how learning about birth physiology transformed her confidence, and why her mindset going into her second birth made such a difference. Her story is a powerful reminder that one difficult birth does not define future births and that the body is capable of far more than many women realize.
 
Tune in to hear:
Sarah’s first birth experience and why it lasted 36 hours in the hospital
How hospital protocols and interventions impacted her first labor
Why she chose a birth center and midwife for her second birth
How she caught her own baby during a completely unexpected unassisted birth
What the fetal ejection reflex felt like during labor
Why the birth was nearly pain-free despite being extremely fast
How watching positive birth stories changed her mindset about birth
The difference between preparing for birth in fear vs preparing in trust
Why childbirth education can transform the way women experience labor
How recovery differed after a physiological birth without pushing
Encouragement for moms hoping for a redeeming birth after a difficult first experience
Connect with Sarah: @Sarah.tollison.rn
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Are you preparing for birth by gathering more information… but still feeling anxious and overwhelmed?
In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen dives into one of the most common mistakes first-time moms make when preparing for childbirth: focusing almost entirely on gathering information instead of regulating the nervous system. While education is valuable, Karen explains how consuming too much information (especially when it’s filtered through fear or anxiety) can actually dysregulate the nervous system and create more stress around birth.
This episode invites pregnant mothers to shift their focus from over-preparing mentally to learning how to regulate their nervous system and reconnect with the wisdom of their bodies. Karen also walks listeners through simple ways to check in with their bodies, identify hidden fears or tension, and begin cultivating the calm, parasympathetic state that supports physiological birth.
Tune in to hear:
The nervous system mistake many first-time moms make when preparing for birth
Why information overload can actually increase anxiety during pregnancy
How the fight-or-flight response can stall labor and increase pain
Why birth happens best in a parasympathetic “rest and receive” state
The connection between nervous system regulation and oxytocin production
How fear, tension, and anxiety in the body can show up during labor
Practical ways to begin regulating your nervous system during pregnancy
Why preparing your body is just as important as preparing your mind
How learning to surrender and release control can transform your birth experience
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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What happens when you learn to meet the power of contractions instead of fearing them?
In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Karen welcomes Petronella, a first-time mom from Sweden who shares her incredible pain-free home birth story. Despite home birth being rare in Sweden, Petronella followed her intuition and chose to give birth in the place where she felt safest (her own home).
Petronella describes how years of hearing positive birth stories from her mother and witnessing friends give birth shaped her belief that birth could be empowering, natural, and even enjoyable. During her pregnancy, she intentionally prepared by listening to countless birth stories, studying the physiology of birth, and connecting deeply with her body and intuition.
This episode beautifully illustrates how preparation, mindset, and trust in the body’s design can transform the birth experience.
Tune in to hear: 
Why Petronella chose a home birth in Sweden, where home births are uncommon
How early exposure to positive birth stories shaped her mindset about childbirth
The importance of preparing for birth before pregnancy
How listening to birth stories can help reframe fear and build confidence
What it means to “meet the power” of contractions during labor
How vocalizing and using the voice can support cervical dilation during birth
Why creating a safe and peaceful birth environment matters
The role of intuition and trusting your body during labor
What pushing felt like for Petronella and why she actually enjoyed that stage
How relaxation and surrender can help prevent tearing during birth
The emotional moment of meeting her baby after a peaceful home birth
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Facebook
YouTube

What if labor wasn’t random? What if bonding isn’t luck? What if your brain is biologically designed to change in birth?
In this profound and science-rich conversation, Karen sits down with Dr. Sarah Buckley, family physician, researcher, and pioneer in physiological birth, to unpack the true hormonal science of labor and postpartum.
Dr. Buckley has spent decades studying oxytocin, the primary hormone of labor, bonding, and breastfeeding. In this episode, she explains how birth activates the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, how oxytocin creates maternal bonding, and why feeling safe during labor is not emotional fluff. It’s biological necessity. 
This episode bridges the gap between science and spirituality, physiology and experience proving that ecstatic birth is not fantasy. It is mammalian biology.
Tune in to hear:
How oxytocin changes the maternal brain during labor
What actually causes bonding between mother and baby
The neuroscience behind the “birth high”
Why safety is essential for oxytocin release
How synthetic oxytocin works differently in the body
The surprising research findings on Pitocin and oxytocin levels
How epidurals impact the oxytocin feedback loop
Why some women miss the hormonal peak at birth
What happens hormonally during cesarean birth
How skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding can “fill hormonal gaps”
Why birth is a relational experience, not an engineering event
The mammalian design behind maternal transformation
How to protect your physiology in hospital birth settings
Connect with Dr. Buckley:
Website: www.sarahbuckley.com
FB: @DrSarahBuckley 
IG: @DrSarahJBuckley 
Twitter: @Sarahjbuckley

CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Facebook
YouTube

Can birth really be different the second time? What if releasing fear was the missing piece?
In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Callie shares her redemptive Christian home birth story after experiencing an excruciatingly painful first labor. At just 22 years old and pregnant with her second baby, she knew she could not walk into birth carrying the same fear and tension that defined her first experience. 
In this conversation, Callie shares how understanding the fear–tension–pain cycle transformed her perspective on contractions, how inviting God into her labor brought peace and confidence, and why birth can feel intense without feeling traumatic.
She also speaks honestly about postpartum complications and anxiety, reminding listeners that redemption does not always mean perfection. Birth can be both powerful and messy. Faith does not eliminate challenges, but it reframes them. Her testimony is a reminder that birth can be both powerful and messy, and that God can be present in both.
This episode is filled with encouragement for any mama who has experienced birth trauma, fears labor, or feels stuck believing her story is already written.
Tune in to hear:
What made Callie’s first birth “excruciatingly painful”
How fear contributed to her labor experience
The power of addressing the fear–tension–pain cycle
How Scripture and worship reshaped her mindset
What contractions felt like in her second labor
The moment she felt her baby rotate and descend
How her husband showed up differently the second time
What really happened during her postpartum hemorrhage
Honest conversation about postpartum anxiety and healing
Encouragement for moms believing their story cannot change
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Faith Filled Childbirth  
Supernatural Childbirth 
Birth Playlist
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube